JAZZ PIANIST \ COMPOSER
"Simply beautiful Cat ...You can feel it in every note he plays" -QUINCY JONES
Justin Kauflin is an award-winning, American "jazz pianist who favors a clarity of touch and ideas ... his writing is balanced, tempering post bop tendencies with the assurances of the gospel church" New York Times. As leader, player, composer, and producer, Justin Kauflin has released 10 recordings to date and collaborated on over 30 projects. For 10 years, Justin has worked and toured under the management of Quincy Jones and Quincy Jones Productions.
In 2015, Justin performed on Oscar Peterson's personal Bosendorfer for Oscar, with Love, along with 16 world-class pianists. In 2024 Justin released his first vinyl live recording "Justin Kauflin Trio Live at Sam First," a duo album with Thomas Fonnesbaek "Danish Rain," and collaborated on the "Dreaming Freedom" project against modern slavery and the documentary, "Full Circle."
In addition to performing with his own trio or solo, Kauflin has worked with The Clark Terry Quintet, The Clayton Brothers Quintet, Katie Thiroux Trio, Brian McCarthy Nonet, Songevity, Jae Sinnett Trio, multi-instrumentalist Jacob Collier; duo pianos with John Toomey, Jeremy Siskind, Gerald Clayton, Robi Botos, Alfredo Rodriguez; bassists Thomas Fonnesbaek, Derrick Hodge, Chris Funn, Dave Robaire, Chris Smith, Evan Gregor, Phil Kuehn, Michael Hawkins, Mike Downes, Rob Duguay, Matt Hall, Jimmy Masters, Chris Brydge; saxophonists Roxy Coss, Tim Green, Stantawn Kendrick, Steve Wilson, Brian McCarthy, James 'Saxsmo' Gates, Eddie Williams, Jeff Smith; clarinetist & saxophonist Ken Peplowski; guitarists Chico Pinheiro, Matt Stevens, Alan Parker, Ulf Wakenius, Etan Haziza; drummers Jimmy MacBride, Billy Williams, Corey Fonville, Christian Euman, Mark Ferber, Cornelia Nilsson, Evan Sherman, Jim Doxas, Al Hicks, Nadav Snir-Zelniker; and vocalists Sahra Da Silva, Paul Marinaro, Liz Brydge, Sheila Jordan, Rene Marie, Christie Dashiell.
During the pandemic, he shifted his focus to sound design and film scoring, composing original soundtracks for several impactful documentaries including Reflection: A Walk with Water with multi-Grammy winner, Jacob Collier, My Sister Liv, the trailer for Quincy Jones' book 12 Notes on Life and Creativity and Nespresso ads. He contributed to the Nickelodeon movie Blue's Big City Adventure and the documentary Full Circle scored by Emmy-nominated Mark Crawford (The Social Dilemma). Justin is featured in, as well as composed the film score for, the Academy Award short-listed documentary, Keep On Keepin' On, which honors his mentor, the late legendary jazz trumpet/flugelhorn player, Clark Terry, directed and produced by the award-winning team of Alan Hicks, Paula Dupre Pesman, and Quincy Jones.
PRODUCER
"Every part of the process creating 'Coming Home' with Justin was magical in large part because he knew what artistic message he wanted to convey. I'm hyped that people will get to hear this album and go on a journey into the mind of a truly unique artist and sonic storyteller" -DERRICK HODGE
Besides film scoring during the pandemic, Justin hosted live-streamed concerts and "Hangs." JK's Wednesday Night Hang showcased music from his favorite artists and featured occasional live interviews with talents/friends such as Derrick Hodge and Celine Peterson. Sunday Hymns & Things created a space for reflection and prayer, where he played beloved hymns alongside improvised meditations. The Advent/Christmas Hangs spanned a month culminating in marathon performances on Christmas Eve and/or Christmas Day, providing background music and a chance to reconnect with old friends, while JK's Playground emphasizes his passion for Virtual Studio Technology.
Now in his fourth year as a faculty member at the Governor's School for the Arts in Virginia, Justin curates and produces high-level jazz performances for students and the community in an intimate listening setting, free of charge. This year marks the third anniversary of the GSA Jazz Night Concert Series which kicks off on September 26 with "The Music of Ahmad Jamal." Upcoming events include a Duo Pianos concert featuring John Toomey on November 14, and The Billy Williams Quartet March 13 in the new year. We have more shows in the works, and will keep everyone updated through this website, email, social media, and word-of-mouth, so be sure to check back often!
Previously featured Artists
EDUCATOR
“....It was clear from the start that Justin had goals to accomplish within the session, offering performance and dialogue that he believed would be most effective with university-aged students, and he targeted perfectly ... They made our band room feel like the center of the jazz universe" -A. GARCIA, DIRECTOR VCU JAZZ
Through the Keep On Keepin' On Jazz Outreach, Justin promotes jazz education with screenings, Q&A sessions, jazz workshops and student jams, culminating in a concert. He has been an adjunct faculty member/adjudicator for the Monterey Jazz Festival, Centrum Port Townsend Jazz, Vail Jazz Workshop, Lionel Hampton Jazz and Notre Dame Jazz, Jazz Maui with John Clayton and Katie Thiroux, and has served as a Jazz Ambassador with the U.S. State Department in the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Latvia and the Rep. of Georgia.
Having performed at jazz festivals in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Brazil, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Indonesia, South Korea, Japan, Netherlands, Czech Republic, Rep. of Georgia, France, Austria, Poland, Croatia, Norway, Denmark, Belgium, Spain, UK, Italy, Latvia, and Switzerland, Kauflin often incorporated workshops for students.
Since 2022, he has been on the faculty at the Governor’s School for the Arts in Virginia, where he fosters young talent, and curates GSA Jazz Nights which features prominent regional jazz musicians, at no cost. Justin continues to tour and is a Yamaha Artist.
ADVOCATE
"Being blind is only a part of who we are ... it should never be something that defines us" -JUSTIN KAUFLIN
Justin Kauflin became completely blind by age 11 due to proliferative exudative retinopathy. With support from Virginia Beach public schools and the DBVI, he excelled academically, graduating summa cum laude while mastering braille and mobility skills. At William Paterson University, he accessed brailled music scores through the National Library Service and used technology like Dancing Dots and Sibelius for composition. A Kennedy Center VSA award recipient he advocates for disability awareness and has performed as a Jazz Ambassador in Tbilisi, Georgia, The Dominican Republic, Guanajuato, Mexico and Riga, Latvia. The Americans with Disability Act has improved independent travel and dining experiences, while advancements in assistive technology, including Native Instrument's Komplete Kontrol, have enhanced creative opportunities for visually impaired musicians and producers.
